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The rejection of the pleas of top Congress leaders will pave the way for the Income Tax Department to scrutinise their records for the assessment year 2011-12.

The BJP said on Tuesday Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi’s pleas against the IT department’s decision to reopen their 2011-2012 tax assessments reveal “deep seated corruption” in the party.

Rahul Gandhi needs to answer many questions, Union minister Smriti Irani said, a day after the Delhi high court dismissed the Gandhis’ challenge to reopen their tax assessments in connection with a case related to the National Herald newspaper.

“Yesterday’s court judgement on appeal of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi reveals deep seated corruption in the hallowed halls of the Congress party,” Irani said at a press conference in the BJP office.

The rejection of the pleas of top Congress leaders, including Oscar Fernandes, will pave the way for the Income Tax Department to scrutinise their records for the assessment year 2011-12.

No Indian can defy an income tax notice but Rahul Gandhi runs miles from income tax officers, she said.

“Why is it that Mr Rahul Gandhi, who is too quick to hug the prime minister, would run a mile when it comes to an Income Tax officer,” Irani asked, referring to the Congress president hugging Modi in the Lok Sabha during the no-confidence debate in July.

She accused Rahul Gandhi of setting up a not-for-profit company, Young Indians, which then bought a commercial company, Associated Journals Ltd, and its debts worth Rs 90 crore for Rs 50 lakh.

“Rahul Gandhi set up a company in 2011, professing it will not indulge in profit-loss business. Young Indian bought Associated Journals, which is commercial,” she said, questioning the deal.

Associated Journals Ltd, founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, publishes three newspapers, including the National Herald.

After buying the loan of Associated Journals, Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Sonia Gandhi become owners of a company, Irani claimed.

The BJP alleges that the Gandhis used Congress funds to pay its debts even though the publisher has real estate assets worth thousands of crores.

Discussing former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan’s submission to the Estimates Committee over mounting NPAs (non-performing assets), Irani said his statement clearly proves it is the Congress which is responsible for increased NPA.

“UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi led a government that attacked the very core of the Indian banking system. Raghuram Rajan has said that between 2006-08, the UPA functioning led to increased NPAs in the Indian banking structure,” she said.

“A variety of governance problems such as the suspect allocation of coal mines coupled with the fear of investigation slowed down government decision making in Delhi, both in the UPA and the subsequent NDA governments,” Rajan has said in a note to the parliamentary panel.

Irani also shared details of Modi’s interaction with anganwadi workers Tuesday and said the prime minister is working to empower the poor while the Gandhi family is busy “empowering themselves”.